Very (!) long review: Just off the Jewel, Bahamas cruise 10/10 to 10/17/10

[sonavogel]

Hello to all you avid NCL fans! This is going to be a long, long review/account of my 10/10/10 cruise to the Bahamas. So best be warned—maybe just scan it, because it’s an in-depth record of our experience. Much of it was written while aboard the NCL Jewel, but time got away from me, so I ended up finishing the review when we returned.

 

I apologize for being so long-winded, but I can’t seem to help myself: Our cruise was relaxing, enjoyable, and even more satisfying than I had hoped…so I’d like to give my impressions as they come to me. BUT: Please keep in mind that my experience of this cruise is as a suite passenger, which I would think has to be different in a number of respects from pax experiences in other categories.

 

If anyone has any questions that aren’t answered after this humongous account, please feel free to ask!

 

First off, a very large thank-you to this board and all the incredibly knowledgeable posters who helped me navigate my decisions—so many of them—from the very first day I began to think of booking a cruise for my husband and me. I wanted to be the one to take charge of this event and give it as a gift to my wonderful husband, who retired mid-August after working so hard for so many years, and who has taken care of me throughout our wonderful marital journey together. So I turned to CC for information, ideas, opinions…anything and everything that would help me make this a cruise to remember for my beloved spouse.

 

I was able to get a good price on the NCL Jewel “romance suite” #10664 for this 7-day cruise to the Bahamas; there was a special going at the time I booked, and I was able to get another 10% off (limited time) through AARP.

 

Much later—about two weeks before the cruise was to set sail—we received a call from the upsell fairy, who offered us an owner’s suite for about $430 more pp; but after thinking about it for the whole day, I decided to stick with the romance suite because (even though I’d never seen it) I really wanted the large balcony facing aft. It meant more than access to the courtyard and a large forward-facing (likely windy) balcony. So I decided to decline the upsell and use the money for other things—like a cruise-length spa pass for the two of us, an Internet package, and so on.

 

I think it was the right decision for us. We had an unbelievable view from this very large, very private balcony. I’ve taken a video of the room and balcony, and I’ll try to upload it to YouTube and create a link so anyone interested in seeing a romance suite can do so.

 

First of all, my husband was thrilled and so happy with this cruise—we have sailed on the Queen Mary 2 twice (last time a B2B transatlantic), both times in a Britannica balcony stateroom. And while I enjoyed the stateroom, the Jewel romance suite is twice the size. And the balcony is about three times the size, and it’s kind of curved. We would not have needed the additional space in an owner’s suite, and the cruise-long spa pass I bought for the two of us turned out to be excellent substitutes for access to the private courtyard afforded to those in the villas and owner’s suites.

 

We arrived Sunday 10/10 at the NYC port terminus very early—around 10:45 a.m.—and were ushered right through to the lounge for those who had booked suites. The concierge—John D’Souza—came in to give us our room keys and introduce himself. He was very pleasant and made sure we understood that he was there to facilitate any events we wanted to participate in or enjoy. I immediately told him how much my husband wanted to be part of the full tour the ship offers, and he said he’d take care of that. We’ll be getting a card giving us the day and time of the behind-the-scenes tour, and I know my husband will love it!

 

After John was through, our butler, Erlindo, arrived. We had elected to take our rolling luggage carts with us (to avoid having to wait till 5 PM for our luggage), and he refused to let us wheel our carts. He took hold of both and wheeled them up the long series of ramps to deck 7—with us trailing behind, feeling superfluous and already pampered. He was as nice as could be. We walked with him to our suite, which was ready for us. And as my husband began to look around the room and out at the balcony with wide eyes, I asked Erlindo to make getting my husband an ethernet cable a priority (DH can’t stand not being able to check e-mail; sheesh! and his BlackBerry was not giving him a signal at that moment).

 

Erlindo rushed off to get the cable, and I rushed off to the spa to get the cruise-long passes. I’d heard through CC that the spa sold only a limited number of cruise-length passes, and since this was something important to me, I wanted to make sure we got one. And we did.

 

When I got back to the suite, my husband was bubbling over—wanting to show me everything, esp. the balcony, which truly is large, with two very comfortable chairs (one a full lounger, the other a regular chair with ottoman/table). I suggested we have lunch at Cagney’s and then walk around a bit before the life jacket drill.

 

Cagney’s was another major hit. It was quiet, not crowded, and had a beautiful menu for us. Our waiter could not have been more cooperative and eager to please. We had a delicious, leisurely lunch, then strolled around to see what-all was where (not an easy task! it’s a large ship with many venues). I showed DH the spa, and we both explored the gym, the library, the theater, the two main dining rooms, the cafés and bars…

 

By now, we were getting tired from stimuli overkill. People were streaming on board and racing around, excited and eager to begin their cruise. We got back to our cabin in time for DH to set up our on board Internet account and then we headed down to Tsar’s for the life jacket drill—which took about 15 minutes(and without the life jackets).

 

Back to the suite! By now, the longshoremen were untying the huge ropes to the Jewel—and to the Dawn, which was berthed right next door. Throngs of people were waving to us, and throngs of us were waving to them!

 

I ran upstairs (leaving DH on our balcony) to the Great Outdoors to catch the “sail-away” scene—it was wall-to-wall people and wall-to-wall BBQ and booze: if I’d fainted right then and there, I would not have fallen to the ground, that’s how crowded it was! The smell of the BBQ was fabulous: corn on the cob, roast chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, people in hot tubs with champagne or beer, music and dancing, children racing around screaming with excitement… I tried to get back to the suite, and it took me 15 minutes just to get out! I was laughing from the sheer anticipation, and by the time I reach the suite again, we were under way.

 

It was a beautiful afternoon—not a cloud in the sky, about 70 degrees. From our balcony on deck 10, I couldn’t hear a thing from upstairs at the Great Outdoors—it was weird, since I had expected to hear music and shrieking and see food being flung over the side. But everything was quiet, and when the Statue of Liberty came up, we had a panoramic view. It was unbelievable. We passed under the Verrazano bridge, which spans Staten Island with Brooklyn, and at one point the Dawn—which was right behind us—turned. We decided she must have been headed for New England and Canada.

 

Well, as might be expected, we decided we wanted to have dinner in our suite. At least this night (well, maybe most nights, since it turned out to be such a romantic experience). We called Erlindo, who took our orders and the time we wanted dinner, and then showed up just when we’d asked—and with everything we’d asked for, cooked just the way we like it. He set up our table with a linen cloth, placed everything around the table beautifully, and left (practically bowing out backward!).

 

Did I forget to mention that there was a silver bucket holder with a bottle of champagne and a bottle of water, “compliments of NCL”? Well, there was (although it’s gone now. :)).

 

We ate dinner watching the sun set and the stars come out. Listening to the wake and feeling the ship shudder slightly now and then—like rocking a cradle. Now and then we’d walk out onto the balcony and just look, just get hypnotized by the wake, and the twinkling lights offshore (to our left), and the stars above. It was magical.

 

Later (um, much later :)), I finished unpacking and was totally wiped out—I think a lot of that was from nerves, wanting my husband to like the choices I had made. He was revved up, though, so we explored closing the curtains around the bed (which blocked out all outside light), and I knocked off while he went out exploring.

 

I was tired, but I had a very hard time going to sleep—I had had too much coffee, too much excitement, and too many wonderful experiences to just fall asleep. But eventually I was out, and I didn’t hear DH when he came in around 11:30 or so.

 

Thus ended day one—and it was a day to remember. Everyone had been so kind, so eager to help no matter what—just say what you want and we’ll do our best.

 

Oh! I wanted to mention that we were also introduced to our room steward, James, who turned out to be every bit as helpful and wonderful as Erlindo and John.

 

The only thing that got under my skin that first day was my stupidity about the suite’s espresso-cappuccino maker. I had to have Erlindo show me how to work it three times (on three separate occasions). I’m more of a Mr. Coffee type—I can’t seem to grasp the intricacies of these sophisticated Italian models. :rolleyes: I like to drink a lot of decaf, and one of the reasons I was so wired the first night was that I couldn’t figure out how to get it to switch; it kept grinding the regular coffee and making me a perfect cup…which I drank, each time. Like an idiot. But I’m not saying this to complain—it’s a wonderful perk having this machine in the suite. I should have taken lessons before I left for the cruise!

 

Okay, some stats/observations:

 

THE SUITE.

The suite is a very comfortable size for two people (especially two people used to a balcony stateroom of around 210 sf incl. verandah)—in fact, we’d probably feel lost in anything larger (like the owner’s suite).

 

There’s a narrow entry off the door, with a large wardrobe closet to the left (the closet has two ways to get into it, one from the entry hallway and the second from its sister hallway on the other side, which leads to the dressing alcove and bathroom). The wardrobe closet contains two very plush robes and two sets of slippers.

 

The front hallway opens into the main room; there’s a curved breakfront to the left that contains a dorm fridge at the bottom, a large espresso/coffeemaker on the ledge part, and a glass case with cups/saucers and glasses above; to the right is an elliptical desk with drawers below and a large flat-screen TV above.

 

Continuing forward into the room, there’s a table with four chairs next to the balcony’s right side; to the balcony’s left side is a chaise longue and then (against the far wall) a love seat. Very cozy and comfortable looking.

 

There’s a queen size bed in the center of the room. Between the bed and the breakfront is another small hallway that leads to the dressing alcove at the end (all mirrored, with a hair blower); immediately to the right past the bed is a set of four pull-open doors (two above, with the two safes in the right; and two below), and walking a tad farther—to the right—is the door to the bathroom. (To the left is the same wardrobe/closet that one could access from the front hallway.)

 

The bathroom is spacious, with a lovely tub and shower arrangement, a large sink, and a toilet that has a closing door for privacy. Plenty of room even for tall/large people! Oh—and there’s a bathroom scale in there, for anyone disciplined enough to want to know what’s going on while they’re on vacation. The bathroom sink has an inset hand soap gel along with little bottles of shampoo, hair conditioner, body lotion, Q-tips, a shower cap, and a loofah, plus two small soaps; the bathtub has a pretty glass container of bath salts and insert dispensers of hand soap and shampoo.

 

Okay, back out to the main room...and to the balcony, which is stupendous—it’s curved and huge, and it affords an incredible view of the ocean…panoramic. The sound is lulling, the air is soft and warm, the view is mesmerizing. You can eat out there, sleep out there, relax out there. You don’t hear people or music from above unless the ship’s engines have been shut off (while at port), and even then it’s kind of nice—not overly loud or raucous.

 

THE STAFF.

It’s just as everyone has said: The concierge, the butler, and the steward go completely out of their way to make you happy—they want to get you whatever you would like to have. One time when I opened the suite door and stepped out, Erlindo (our butler) and James (our steward) appeared from nowhere, it seemed, and converged upon me in about twenty seconds to ask if everything was all right, if I needed anything, if there was anything they could do for me. I nearly started to giggle, because it was like something out of a comedy!

 

In addition to asking our concierge, John D’Souza, to arrange tickets for a “behind the scenes” tour for my husband (which he absolutely adored and gushed to me about for twenty minutes afterward), we used John to help us bypass the crowds waiting on the stairwells to board the tenders to Great Stirrup Cay.

 

On that day, when we were ready to leave for the island, we got as far as deck 7 and got stuck behind wall-to-wall people, all heading down to tender to the island.

 

When I realized the problem, and could see that DH was beginning to get frustrated and worried that we’d never make it to the tenders inside of an hour, I grabbed DH by the sleeve and took him over to the reception desk, where I had them call John D’Souza.

 

I explained to John that we wanted to tender to the island but were stuck on 7 with everyone trying to get down. He told us to wait for him and—I swear this is true!—in about thirty seconds there he was, next to us. He took us with him to the crew elevator and down to deck 4 (I think, or 5), took our key cards, and had the attendant swipe them immediately, and left us with a cheery “Have fun!” as we boarded the tender. My husband was wide-eyed and all admiration…at me! :)

 

We did not need John to make reservations at any of the specialty restaurants, although he would have been happy to do that for us; and DH, being the nightlife half of this partnership, went to all the shows without using John for priority seating. He had no trouble getting great seats, and he thought all the shows were spectacularly entertaining (especially the Second City group).

 

Erlindo, our butler, was a delight and of great service to us. As I said earlier, he brought us dinner one evening—white tablecloth and all—and my husband’s steak was prepared perfectly; then he came back a second time later than night with the dessert—ice cream, because (he said) it would have melted otherwise. One morning, we decided we wanted breakfast in our suite, even though we hadn’t ordered it the night before—we called Erlindo, and he brought it within a half hour and set it up beautifully. We ate outside on the balcony.

 

Erlindo showed great patience and tact explaining (four or five different times) how the Saeco espresso/cappuccino machine works. And I actually understand it now!! He made sure I had plenty of preground decaf coffee and half and half for my needs, and he brought us lovely snacks (including the infamous chocolate-covered strawberries).

 

Our cabin steward, James, practically lived across the hall from us…or so it seemed. He was there whenever I opened my door. He kept the suite spotless and all amenities refilled (including as many pool towels as we required). I don’t know how he did it, but whenever we returned to the room, it was spotless.

 

FOOD.

All CC members know how emotional/personal this aspect of cruising is. I am not going to be able to judge the quality of the food—even from my own perspective—because I am an indifferent eater, and worse, I don’t eat meat or chicken, breads or grains, or fried foods. I mean, how disgusting can I get?! (In my own defense, I will eat broiled, grilled or steamed fish.)

 

My husband and I ate one meal from the MDR—the one that was brought to us by our butler to our suite; in the entire seven days of our cruise, we did not set foot in either of the two main restaurants, so I can’t speak about the service, the noise level, or the quality/diversity of the offerings.

 

We at lunch three times at Cagney’s (a suite perk); the atmosphere was always relaxing and enjoyable, the food delicious (although the menu did not vary, there was a good enough selection to tempt any diner), the wait staff were unfailingly pleasant and accommodating, with substitutions granted cheerfully.

 

Breakfast and lunch offerings at the Garden Café were beyond varied—I tell you, I had so much fun just wandering among all the different stations that I ended up feeling full by the time I reached the opposite end of the deck! People were going crazy eating. NCL staffers manned stations to make omelets to order, crepes to order, sandwiches to order, pasta to order, while other staffers were there to make sure there was plenty of all the other items—pastries, desserts, hot food, cold food (cereal, cottage cheese, yogurt, granola, etc.), Indian food, Japanese items (including sushi), Chinese offerings, and the ubiquitous burgers, hot dogs, pizza, taco chips with salsa and dip; fresh fruit and fruit salad, soft-freeze ice cream and toppings…and on and on.

 

So obviously there was always lots of tasty, freshly prepared food—some of it not that healthy, some of it very healthy, lots of it in between—and some higher-caliber choices…enough to cater to all tastes (although I do not know if the specialty restaurants or MDR selections were tastefully prepared, since we never ate there).

 

Desserts were fine for the regular palate—there were enough choices (including sugar-free choices) to content just about anyone not looking for a five-star restaurant option. My husband had fun with the guy who made crepes—DH brought over butterscotch sauce or nuts and such to make specialty-type crepes just for him. I enjoyed anything with chocolate and the soft-serve ice cream flavors, and lots of other things, too. I’m afraid to weigh myself!

 

There were plenty of choices for late-nighters and early risers, too. Oh—and the coffee and decaf were fine for me. In the Garden Café, there was the regular coffee or decaf from syrup, and a ground/drip option as well. There were little half and half flip-top half-ounce portions, there was milk, and there was “creamer,” which I assumed was artificial stuff like dairy-mate or whatever.

 

The one thing that puzzled me was that it seemed the orange juice was not true OJ—it was even called “orange juice cocktail.” Even at breakfast. I mean, you could order orange juice, they said; but there would be a charge. That puzzled me, since OJ is such an “all-American” choice (esp. at breakfast). But I’m not an OJ fan, so I merely observed the situation when DH first asked about it.

 

BOOZE.

No need to go into this—anyone who’s cruised with NCL knows that they have pretty much whatever you want. :) I had lots of fun watching the twenty-somethings drinking in the hot tubs and enjoying themselves all over the place…but I was even more impressed to see them the next morning in the gym, using the weights and the treadmills. I forgot how resilient a 25-year-old can be!

 

SPA AND GYM.

I bought us a cruise-length spa pass the very first hour I was on board, and it was a fantastic thing to do. We went there on about five different occasions, just to veg out, and it was beyond glorious. The panoramic view from the front of the ship, the floor-to-ceiling wrap-around windows, is amazing. The music is tranquil, the atmosphere peaceful.

 

There’s a women’s-only section, a men’s-only section, and a unisex section. There are hot tubs, a cold plunge tub, sauna, steamroom, a thermal pool, those warmed tile lounges, and, of course, lockers, robes, towels, showers, bathrooms, and a tropical-or-icy shower, depending on your mood.

 

You get so relaxed, you can practically walk in your sleep!

 

The gym is also great—plenty of cardio equipment, stretching mats and balancing balls, free weights, Cybex machines…you name it. I got in about four workouts, and they were all fine (except that trying to jog while fighting the ship’s motion can be tricky).

 

PORTS.

This itinerary is not as port-heavy as others. My husband and I had previously decided not to get off at Cape Canaveral, so we spent a relaxing day on board. The day was sunny, somewhat humid (typical Florida), and the air was soft, and many people (especially those with children) who left the ship came back excited and looking as though they’d had a great time. The sail-away was lots of fun.

 

We got to watch the arrival into Great Stirrup Cay, which was a fabulous sight looking out from our balcony. The air was noticeably warmer here, and we decided to take a tender out to the island so we could go swimming and watch the fun. We had received a set of “priority” tender tickets and a note from John, our concierge, to notify him if we needed help getting off the ship. And as I mentioned earlier, we did need his help—and he gave it instantly.

 

The island got crowded pretty quickly, although there’s a far section that not many people seemed to gravitate to. It has loungers and clamshells, but because it’s a longer walk to get there, most people seemed to prefer to hang around at the beaches on either side of the tender. We did, too.

 

One note: A CC poster had earlier asked whether or not the sea floor was rocky or jagged here. Although it’s easy enough to swim around the entire area, and it’s not dangerous for the most part, I somehow managed to cut the middle of the bottom of one foot when I stepped down on a jagged rocky area underwater. It didn’t hurt at the time, and I didn’t even realize I’d cut myself till later on, when it began to sting. But it’s a fairly deep jagged puncture, which I’ve since doctored up some with Neosporin and a Band-Aid. Obviously I’ll live—it doesn’t hurt to walk with loafers or jogging shoes (although if I’m barefoot and step in salt water, it still stings)—but I guess the moral is that if you have a pair of swim shoes to bring when you hit the island, take them.

 

The NCL staff handled everything there professionally, politely, and with good humor. The tenders operate nonstop; the BBQ is well stocked and varied (plenty of pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, corn, potato salad, coleslaw, fruit salad, drinks both alcoholic and non), and there was lots of fun equipment (like for snorkeling, tubing, paddling, etc.).

 

The heat/sun can be brutal, though. Sunblock is a must, and even with sunblock, more than two or three hours can be rough on those unused to the weather. DH had lots of fun but came away with a headache. We left for the island around 10:30 a.n. and got back to the ship around 2:30.

 

The next day was Nassau, which sparkled before us like a little gem all its own, and the view of the harbor and Paradise Island/Atlantis on one side and all the pretty pastel buildings on the other made for quite a picture. I had planned to take DH on the jitney over to Sheraton for the day, but I should have known that he would have other plans—the same plans, in fact, that he had the time we were in Bermuda four years earlier.

 

He’s a lawyer, you see. And maybe they’re not all like this, but mine is: He wanted to visit all the various courtrooms in the town and sit in on any proceedings. First off, we got to the magistrate’s court and were told that no visitors would be allowed in wearing shorts and sandals (which he’d put on in deference to the heat). So we turned around, walked back to the ship and our room, and he changed...and then out we went again! (FYI, I was in a loose-flowing dress and loafers, so I qualified from the get-go. <g> )

 

We hit the magistrate’s court, watched the proceedings for about 45 minutes, then moved on to the Supreme Court, and then the criminal court (I’m not sure what the proper names were/are, all I know is that in one courthouse the judge was trying traffic-type offenses and in another all the defendants were manacled together and looked fierce).

 

By the time DH was satisfied, I had decided it was too late to try to hit the Sheraton. So we strolled around town a bit and then headed back to the ship—and just in time, too, because it began to rain. Little drops at first, and then a steady downpour that lasted until it was time to sail away.

 

It was amazing watching the captain steer the ship in a tight 180-degree turn to get us heading forward out of the harbor!

 

NIGHTLIFE.

This was my husband’s department, since I invariably pooped out way too early. But I got a full report in the morning, and he adored the entertainment, just about every night. He was especially delighted with the Second City troupe—he went back to see their second show the same night!

 

He learned late in the cruise that NCL was sponsoring a lecture series exploring recent developments in cognition and the brain—four lecturers, each one a specialist in the field, gave one-hour discussions (each one on a different day) on various aspects of the topic; DH listened to two of the lectures and was enthralled. Unfortunately, NCL did nothing to promote the series through special inserts in the dailies or through the PR system (although the lectures were posted in fine print inside the dailies under all the other activities)—if I had to guess, I’d say the lack of publicity was due to the fact that no NCL products of any kind were being sold there (like alcoholic beverages, bingo cards, casino chits, cruise deposits, or such). DH said there were about 25 people at each lecture, and they all seemed very interested and asked some thought-provoking questions at the end. Next time we cruise the Jewel, we’ll ask up front if there’s anything like that happening.

 

FRIDAY, AT SEA.

I had made sure the concierge had signed up my husband for the “behind the scenes” tour of the ship, which started at 10:30 a.m. and ended around 1 p.m. He was so excited!

 

Once he’d headed out, I went over to the cruise consultants’ office. By this point, I knew that I wanted to sign up for the rewards program—the $250 down payment/$100 off on board.

 

I also decided I might as well apply for an NCL MasterCard. I’d gone online while in Nassau to check out the Cruise Critic posts about the NCL card, so I was forewarned about the problems getting points transferred, with all the rules and fine print. But I figured I could at least try to make it work, and if I failed, I wouldn’t have lost anything, really. I’ll pay off the card in full each month, there’s no annual fee, and if I stay on top of the rules, I might even benefit from the points program!

 

So I got the 10,000 points for signing on, and I also had them transfer over my on board charges from this cruise as well (about $500 worth). We’ll see how that goes. :)

 

By the time my husband returned from the behind the scenes tour, he was so excited by what he’d seen that he could barely get out two sentences in a row! He absolutely loved it, and was very impressed by both the tour and the cruise line—NCL runs a tight and very clean ship...something we’d noticed even without a tour!

 

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

We spent two very relaxing days at sea—in the spa, on the balcony, at the shows, strolling around, and just enjoying all the amenities offered to “suite” pax. We learned from John that he’s the only concierge on the ship—and that there are 46 suites in all. I do not know if he meant that that included owner’s suites, villas, and deluxe owner’s suites.

 

Everyone we saw seemed to be having a wonderful time, and we didn’t want to leave!

But this morning, Sunday, it was time. I was up, showered, and dressed by 7:45 a.m., and since DH and I were taking our own luggage, we met John at the Stardust Theater at 8:20 (the other suite members who were walking off were there, too), and we were through customs and in a cab on the way to our home (on the Upper West Side in NYC) by 8:50.

 

It was the end of an absolutely wonderful experience—and we plan to repeat it as soon as we can!

 

P.S. I took a video (from our camera) of the romance suite, since I’d been unable to see what that suite looked like in all my research. I’m going to try to upload it to YouTube, and if I succeed I’ll add a post with the link. If anyone has any suggestions about other places I can upload this kind of video, please let me know!

 

All the best, Sona

[hateswaterloves2cruise]

Thank you for your great review of the Jewel. We are sailing on her in January, unfortunately not in a suite. I would love to go in an AD (we had an AE on the Dawn) but the price was more than twice our balcony room. So instead, we are going on 2 cruises for the cost of one suite. We will miss the suite perks but will enjoy 2 cruises (one out of NOLA). One of these days I'll get my AD :)

[scopewest]

Wonderful review, you made me think about booking your suite and soon!

[mommyto2girls]

Love the review..we are going in January as well in a Courtyard Villa first time with NCL so you just made it even more exciting!

[goldmom]

Thank you for the wonderful and detailed review. I could feel your excitement in it and glad you had a great time. We love the Jewel, and reading your review made me feel like I was back on her!

[Springwater21]

we are sailing the Star in February and in a penthouse with balcony suite on deck 12. This is our first suite experience and its a brand new suite on the Star. My hubby is turning 65 on Feb 7th and this is my gift to him. He is such a great person! I hope he has as much fun as your hubby. We are doing the Mexican Riviera for 7 days, a break in our snowbird world of gold prospecting in Arizona.

 

Your review was delightful to read. Thanks you so much. Dona

[CruisinMaterial]

Thanks for sharing all the information in your review!

 

The Jewel is my favorite NCL ship and I'm glad to read that you liked it too! :D

[mafig]

Thank you for your review; I enjoyed reading it.

 

One question about your proposed upsell, you said you thought about it all day, ~ I thought they gave you about 15 seconds to make up your mind and then they went on the the next person ~ is that not true? They gave you a whole day to decide? That's pretty nice.

 

:)

[sonavogel]

Thank you for your review; I enjoyed reading it.

 

One question about your proposed upsell, you said you thought about it all day, ~ I thought they gave you about 15 seconds to make up your mind and then they went on the the next person ~ is that not true? They gave you a whole day to decide? That's pretty nice.

 

:)

Yes, she (it was one woman who called, and I had her extension to call her back when I'd made up my mind) called around 10:00 AM, and my husband was out having to take care of some things with his mother. She explained about the upsell, and I said I wanted to discuss it with DH. She was fine about that--said that she was on duty till about 4 PM, and if I called her by around 2:30 or so, that would be fine.

 

Now one thing I do remember: I called her back around 12 noon, just to check in with her and promise that I would for sure get back by 2 PM, and she needed me to remind her who I was and what the upsell was. Then she said she'd check to see "if no one else had sold it yet." That was not something she'd said to me when we first spoke (that there were other upsell fairies trying to get it sold).

 

At any rate, it was still available, and it was still available when I declined it at 2 PM.

 

So from my experience, at least, she gave me quite a bit of time to discuss it with my husband and make up my mind. :)

 

--Sona

[MotherofTrips]

concierge

 

Thank you for such a wonderful, detailed review. We are leaving on the Jewel out of New York on October 31st. We have a 2 bedroom family sutie with a connecting mini suite. I have a few questions if you don't mind answering:

 

1. Did your husband have to pay for the behind the scent tour and how long did it take? Do you think it would be interesting for 8 year olds as well?

 

2. Did you tip the butler and concierge as you went along, or did you wait until the end?

 

3. Did they bring you snacks everynight and if so what time? What kind of snacks did they bring you?

 

4. I know that you got to New York early (as we are planning to do to) but what time did you actually board?

 

5. Do you know if you can use the concierge to get you chairs around the pool?

 

Thank you for all your information. I am sure I will come up with more questions for you, especially since it is still fresh in your mind! Glad you had a great time!

[patseacruiser]

Thank you for your review. I was on the Jewel in September and am going back in July 2011. I had a midship balcony and it was nice and have reserved an aft facing balcony for July. I am hemming and hawing about upgrading to the aft facing suite so am happy your review was about that. I am now going to go back and recheck the difference in prices and see what I want to do. Thanks again.

[sonavogel]

1. Did your husband have to pay for the behind the scent tour and how long did it take? Do you think it would be interesting for 8 year olds as well?

 

Well, my husband didn’t, but I did! :) Yes, it cost $55 per person. I wasn’t interested in it, so I paid for my husband alone. The tour was long—from about 10:30 a.m. till about 1:00 p.m.—and it was detailed and explicit. By that, I mean that tour members were taken to each of several different departments of the ship (the galley, procurement, the laundry, garbage, the bridge, and so on) and handed off to the heads of those departments, who gave specific and detailed explanations of how each department was run. It was very, very informative and interesting, but I’m not sure an 8-year-old would have the patience to listen to the whole thing. I would imagine that it would appeal more to adults. You learn an awful lot about the NCL ethic and the specific rules and procedures, too.

 

2. Did you tip the butler and concierge as you went along, or did you wait until the end?

I actually gave our butler $5 that first morning just because my heart went out to him for dragging our two large wheelie carts for us all the way up the ramps and into our suite; he absolutely refused to let us carry anything! When I gave him the $5, he practically backed away from it, saying, “No, no! I haven’t done anything for you yet!” But I pressed it on him anyway, and told him that as far as I was concerned, he’d already done a lot. I gave no one anything more until the last evening, at which point I put my cash tips into separate envelopes with thank-you notes and handed them personally to the concierge, the butler, and the steward.

 

3. Did they bring you snacks every night and if so what time? What kind of snacks did they bring you?

Yes, the butler brought us snacks every late afternoon (around 4ish)—but he would have brought them at any time we had specified (we didn’t) and he would have brought us any kind of snack we asked for—but we weren’t particular. He brought us two different kinds of snacks each afternoon. Sometimes cheeses and crackers/small canapes (like wedges of toast with a little caviar, smoked salmon, roast beef with cream cheese, etc.); other times it was cut fruit and chocolates; other times it was chocolate-covered strawberries and the cheese and crackers again. He would have brought cookies, cake, whatever we wanted.

 

4. I know that you got to New York early (as we are planning to do to) but what time did you actually board?

 

Boarding—as I learned, to my surprise—is contingent on the ship’s officer of the watch confirming that everyone on the previous cruise has left the ship. For some reason, if even one person is left unaccounted for, they cannot let people begin to board, or “Customs will freak out,” as the officer told me. So boarding can begin as early as 11:00 a.m. or as late as 12:00, depending on the individual situation.

We were in our suite by 11:30 a.m., but the Dawn—berthed right next door—started boarding before we did.

 

5. Do you know if you can use the concierge to get you chairs around the pool?

I didn’t try, but I have a feeling that he cannot do that. Certain areas of the ship remain on a “first come, first served” basis, I believe, and I’d bet that pool chairs qualify. But you could ask him and see what he says. :)

 

 

 

I hope this helps--and please feel free to ask anything else! I'd love to share anything I learned!

 

 

 

Best, Sona

[sonavogel]

I think I may have done it--uploaded my video of romance suite #10664 on the Jewel. This appears to be the link, so if you're interested in seeing the clip, please give it a try!

 

 

 

Best, Sona

[Boolie]

Sona: Thank you, thank you. What a wonderful review. We are booked in the same cabin, except it's on the Gem (same deck plan), in December to the Bahamas, and this will also be our first suite experience. You have more than confirmed our decision to try the "suite life." I can only hope we have staff like you had. We are traveling with life-long friends, who will be in the romance suite next to ours...their very first cruise. I can't imagine the four of us having dinner "en suite" with white linen...what an experience! Please, please let us know when you get the video uploaded. Can't wait to see the cabin. I am also really interested in more details about the behind the scenes tour (cost, etc.). Something I've seen on the Travel Channel, but want to see in person very much.

 

Again, thank you for an absolutely delightful review.

 

Marsha

[dznymom]

Sona,

 

Great review! I remember when you were making the big decision about the Upsell. I am so happy to hear that you loved the AFT Suite and the Jewel as much as I do!

 

I'll be back on her next month with my Mom instead of my DH and I decided to go with adjoining balconies instead of a suite, and as usual I am second guessing myself :p

[welove2cruise232]

Thanks for posting your review! We are on the Jewel on 10/31 in an AE on deck 8, and really looking forward to the suite life again!

[debbiet70611]

Thank you for posting and for the video of the room. I am staying in a Romance Suite in 3 weeks on the Jewel.

[jaja]

What an informative review:) Thanks for taking the time!

Will be in an AE on Jewel in December! Our first suite!

[MotherofTrips]

Thanks for answering my questions and for the video! I noticed that you accessed the mini suite through the balcony but where is the door between the rooms located?

[jahaha]

Thanks for sharing.

[Lipz]

Our sailing date is not until July 30, 2011 but I love reading as much as I can before experiencing things for myself. Your detailed review was great and even though it was a big stretch for us to even book our BB cabin I don't mind living vicariously through others! lol

[sonavogel]

Thanks for answering my questions and for the video! I noticed that you accessed the mini suite through the balcony but where is the door between the rooms located?

 

I think I'm confused about your question. :( I was not in a mini-suite, and I had no access to the stateroom directly to my left (if that was a mini-suite; I'm not sure what category it was, although I believe it was smaller than a full-size suite).

 

I entered our suite through the front door and stepped out onto our balcony through the sliding glass door. If indeed there is the ability to join the romance suite with the stateroom right next to it, I was not aware of that and had no need to check it out (since I was traveling with my husband only).

 

Does this answer your question? Hope so!

 

Best, Sona

[sonavogel]

Our sailing date is not until July 30, 2011 but I love reading as much as I can before experiencing things for myself. Your detailed review was great and even though it was a big stretch for us to even book our BB cabin I don't mind living vicariously through others! lol

 

If what I saw all around me turns out to be true for you, too, Lipz, you and your family/friends are going to have a fabulous time whatever your cabin category.

 

One thing I realized pretty quickly: There's a big, big difference between the NCL experience on the one hand, versus taking the kind of cruise where you choose a time to eat dinner and have several "formal" nights on a 7+-day cruise. There's nothing wrong with the latter--it can be fun to spend lots of time on makeup and hair and gowns and heels and stroll around feeling very dressed up and smiling at your fellow passengers in a sedate way.

 

But it can also be tiring in a funny kind of way. You're always checking to make sure you look presentable, you watch your expressions and your gait, and you're conscious of how you look, sound, and act. You are pampered for sure, and you eat very well, and the ship will be exquisitely appointed and the ports and views spectacular.

 

But with the other kind of cruise--what to me is more of a vacation than an "event"--you get to truly relax and rest up and get yourself renewed enough to go back to whatever the real world has to throw at you when you step off the ship at the end. You eat when you want to, you dress however you want (as long as you wear something! :D), you can let loose and have the kind of fun you need when you've been slaving away for six months or a year to pay the bills.

 

I loved the Queen Mary 2--she's an amazing ship, and I never got over the experience of being called "madame" wherever I went. But it took me a long time to pack everything I knew I would need, make sure everything was clean and pressed and matched; and by the end of our cruise I was very tired, although we had some fabulous pictures of us all dressed up. :)

 

Now, I'm sure there are many people who don't feel the way I do--who find the premium cruise life relaxing and just what they need. But I guess I'm just not used to living that way in real life, so having to "live" that way on my vacation is very different for me, and I guess a bit of a strain.

 

With NCL, I packed just one suitcase (and didn't need everything in it), tooled around in shorts and a top or workout gear or a bikini and a gauzy overthing; I ate well but whenever I felt like it; I had plenty of down time...and by the end of the cruise, I felt refreshed and rested. We didn't take one picture of us (although I made sure to make the video of the suite), but that wasn't important to me.

 

Oops...I did it again--I hijacked your original question. I'm sorry, Lipz.

 

All this to say you are going to have a amazing time! And you'll want to start saving right away to do it again as you as you can.

 

All the best, Sona

[Lipz]

If what I saw all around me turns out to be true for you, too, Lipz, you and your family/friends are going to have a fabulous time whatever your cabin category.

 

Oops...I did it again--I hijacked your original question. I'm sorry, Lipz.

 

All this to say you are going to have a amazing time! And you'll want to start saving right away to do it again as you as you can.

 

All the best, Sona

 

I think I am more nervous about my family and friends cruising because we have done so before and are always raving about how much fun we had. None of our family have every cruised before and only one out of all our friends have also cruised. Since cruising has something for everyone I am hoping they enjoy it as much as I know we will!

We normally book inside cabins and have been upgraded both times. Once to a cabin with a porthole and once to a cabin with a regular window. Even if we hadn't we would have still had a ball. We only booked the balcony because it is our 'wedding' cruise and to have more room for the extra stuff we may need to bring.

Thanks for all your insights!

[MotherofTrips]

I think I'm confused about your question. :( I was not in a mini-suite, and I had no access to the stateroom directly to my left (if that was a mini-suite; I'm not sure what category it was, although I believe it was smaller than a full-size suite).

 

I entered our suite through the front door and stepped out onto our balcony through the sliding glass door. If indeed there is the ability to join the romance suite with the stateroom right next to it, I was not aware of that and had no need to check it out (since I was traveling with my husband only).

 

Does this answer your question? Hope so!

 

Best, Sona

 

 

Sona,

I'm sorry, I must have got confused. I thought that when you went outside on the balcony, you went onto another balcony and looked at a bedroom that also had a couch that was turned down and made up like a bed. I am confusing myself now. Maybe I am thinking of another video as well.